Queen's Pawn Game: Levitsky Attack, Welling Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
39,993 games: White 51.4% / Draw 4.0% / Black 44.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 12,35412K | ||
| 7,0317,031 | ||
| 5,5685,568 | ||
| 3,8073,807 | ||
| 3,4373,437 | ||
| 2,3392,339 | ||
| 2,1662,166 | ||
| 1,5531,553 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.30 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. c4 h6 4. Bh4 g5 5. h3 Bh5 6. g4 gxh4 7. gxh5 dxc4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Pawn Game: Levitsky Attack, Welling Variation (ECO D00, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Queen's Pawn Game: Levitsky Attack, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 Bg4 (2 moves).
In 39,993 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.4%, Black 44.5% and 4.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. h3, in 31% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Queen's Pawn Game: Levitsky Attack, Welling Variation
3. c4 scores best for White: 59.0%, with White winning 57.2% and Black 39.2% of 2,166 games. The most played, 3. h3, scores 53.5% in 12K games, and 3. Nc3 scores lowest: 53.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. c4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Pawn Game: Levitsky Attack, Welling Variation (D00)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-pawn-game-levitsky-attack-welling-variation